Water-soluble polymers are presently accorded particular importance as raw materials, semi-finished components or finished components in numerous technical fields.
Water-soluble polymers can be subdivided fundamentally into natural polymers such as proteins and polysaccharides, for example, semisynthetic polymers (engineered or modified natural polymers) such as cellulose derivatives and starch derivatives, for example, and entirely synthetic polymers. The latter are polymers synthesized starting from low molecular mass starting materials, referred to as monomers.
Water-soluble polymers prepared entirely synthetically are important in particular in the fields of medicine, pharmacy, cosmetics, paper processing, water treatment, petroleum extraction, adhesives, and polyelectrolytes.
Thus, for example, acrylic polymers such as polyacrylic acid are used to produce hydrogels and superabsorbents. Polyacrylamide plays an important part in water purification and petroleum extraction. In addition it is also employed as a flocculant. Polymethacrylic acid is used, for example, in cosmetics and as a tanning agent.
Vinyl polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol, for example, are used in particular for the preparation of adhesives and emulsifiers. In addition, they are also important for the paper and textile industries.
The polymers polyvinylamine, polyvinyl methyl ether, polyvinylpyrrolidone and their copolymers are used, for example, for adhesives, eye drops, and blood plasma substitutes.
Polyvinyl methyl acetamide and polyvinyl sulphonic acid are used principally in hair cosmetics and also as catalyst materials.
Polyoxides, polyimines, polyethylene imines and polyethylene amines constitute preferred ion-exchange materials and are additionally used in paper processing. Polyoxyethylene is an ingredient of numerous cosmetics and of toothpaste. Furthermore, polyoxyethylene is also used in the field of biomedicine.
Polyethylene oxazoline is used in medicine and also in the preparation of adhesives.
Polyamide sulphonates are used, for example, for drilling fluids and borehole cementation.
Some of the water-soluble, entirely synthetic polymers described above, however, have the disadvantage that their melt processability is limited or entirely non-existent, or else at least exists only at the risk of decomposition.
A copolymer or terpolymer which is soluble in aqueous alkali, and a polymer compound based thereon, are disclosed in EP 0 928 316 B1.
It could therefore be helpful to provide a polymer which can be processed in the melt substantially without decomposition phenomena and which, moreover, is soluble particularly in an aqueous neutral environment, or at least can be disintegrated in an aqueous neutral environment.